Mia Amberger and Isabella Dova swept Athlete of the Year honors for five-time regular season champion Pomona-Pitzer Colleges atop the 2026 Women’s Water Polo All-SCIAC teams.
Amberger led the top-ranked offense in the conference with 36 points, which ranked 10th, on 17 goals and 19 assists, tied for second over the regular season. The senior posted a .708 shooting percentage and drew six exclusions while also nabbing 12 steals and making three field blocks.
Dova split time with two other Sagehens in goal, appearing in just six games but playing all 32 minutes against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, California Lutheran College and Chapman University as well as nearly three quarters against Whittier College. The rookie compiled a .543 save percentage on 38 saves and a 6.12 goals-against average over that span almost exclusively against teams that qualified for the SCIAC Tournament.
California Lutheran rookie Aleaha Gonzalez was named the Newcomer of the Year after ranking eighth in the regular season with 25 goals and tied-seventh on 37 points. The first-year was part of a diverse Regals attack and contributed 13 steals and six drawn exclusions.
The Character Award was presented to Lauren Valentin of Pomona-Pitzer as the senior who best exemplifies success in the pool, classroom and with involvement in the community and schools service. The four-year team member and captain has consistently exemplified the values of integrity, leadership and commitment in a variety of roles both on and off campus. A pre-medical molecular biology major, Valentin is an EMT and has worked as a patient care technician in an emergency room as well as contributed to community health education through the Puerto Rican Cultural Center’s Public Health Initiatives, helping to promote health and wellness among underserved populations. The senior has also engaged in meaningful research on DNA damage repair systems in the Negritto Lab and served as Commission of Athletics for the Associated Students of Pomona College, advocating for student-athletes and working to strengthen campus spirit and community.
Alex Rodriguez and the Sagehens bench were recognized as Coaching Staff of the Year for a fifth consecutive season. Pomona-Pitzer continued its eight-year unbeaten streak in conference play with an offense that scored 40 goals more and allowed 11 fewer than anyone, landing six total All-Conference selections.
Pomona-Pitzer’s six All-SCIAC honorees consisted of four First Team members and two on the Second Team, while CMS totaled four (three First Team) and fellow runner-up CLU garnered three total, with two players making the First Team. Chapman landed one player on each squad as Whittier, Occidental College and Caltech each earned a Second Team selection. Regals goalkeeper Izzy de Souza achieved the rare distinction of obtaining a fifth career All-SCIAC honor with a lone First Team selection this season while Grace Clark of CMS also joined rarified air as a four-time First Team pick. Teammate and fellow former Newcomer of the Year Valerie Wraith will be positioned to achieve the same feat now as a three-time First Team choice. Last season’s Offensive Athlete of the Year, Brienz Lang, repeated on the First Team for a third career All-Conference nod while Amberger also repeated on the First Team and Chapman’s Kendall Pappan stepped up to the First Team after consecutive Second Team selections. Isabel Del Villar (CMS) nabbed a third career honor while Zoey Francis (Chapman) repeated on the Second Team.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Offensive Athlete
of the Year |
Defensive Athlete
of the Year |
Newcomer
of the Year |
Character
Award |
Coaching
Staff of the Year |
Mia Amberger
Pomona-Pitzer |
Isabella Dova
Pomona-Pitzer |
Aleaha Gonzalez
Cal Lutheran |
Lauren Valentin
Pomona-Pitzer |
Alex Rodriguez
Pomona-Pitzer |
| First Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Mia Amberger |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Sr. |
ATT |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
| Isabella Dova |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Fy. |
G |
Atherton, Calif. |
| Grace Clark |
CMS |
Sr. |
ATT |
Orinda, Calif. |
| Aleaha Gonzalez |
Cal Lutheran |
Fy. |
UTL |
Commerce, Calif. |
| Izzy de Souza |
Cal Lutheran |
Gr. |
G |
Irvine, Calif. |
| Jordan LaCour |
CMS |
So. |
UTL |
Sherman Oaks, Calif. |
| Brienz Lang |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Sr. |
UT |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
| Ayva Magna |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Sr. |
Sr. |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Kendall Pappan |
Chapman |
Jr. |
ATT |
Simi Valley, Calif. |
| Valerie Wraith |
CMS |
Jr. |
ATT |
Irvine, Calif. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Sydney Bowns |
Pomona-Pitzer |
So. |
UT |
Clovis, Calif. |
| Isabel Del Villar |
CMS |
Sr. |
ATT |
Newport Beach, Calif. |
| Zoey Francis |
Chapman |
Sr. |
G |
Winnetka, Calif. |
| Alexandra Haluska |
Whittier |
Sr. |
ATT |
Brea, Calif. |
| Katie Hugar |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Fy. |
UT |
Alta Loma, Calif. |
| Lauren Lohmeier |
Cal Lutheran |
Sr. |
ATT |
Mission Viejo, Calif. |
| Mia Mutadich |
Caltech |
Sr. |
C |
London, U.K. |
| Lucy Worden |
Occidental |
Sr. |
C |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
Follow the SCIAC on Threads (@theSCIAC), X - formerly Twitter (@theSCIAC) and Instagram (@thesciac) with hashtags #SCIACtion and #SoCalSoGood. Watch all home SCIAC games, matches, and meets online through FloSports: https://flosports.link/SCIAC